Kissinger Henry. White House Years

Подождите немного. Документ загружается.

hadtoemergefromconceptualdiscussions.ChouandIspenthourstogether

essentiallygivingshapetointangiblesofmutualunderstanding.



Chousetthetonewithinthefirsthalfhourofourencounter.Ihad

preparedalongandslightlypedanticopeningstatement,recitingthehistoryof

US‐Chineserelationsthathadleduptothepresentmeeting.Attheendofits

introductorypartIsaidwithanattemptateloquence:“Manyvisitorshavecome

tothisbeautiful,andtous,mysteriousland.” Chouhelduphishand:“Youwill

finditnotmysterious.Whenyouhavebecomefamiliarwithit,itwillnotbeas

mysteriousasbefore.”Iwastakenaback,butChouwascertainlyright.Our

concernwasnotthebilateralissuesbetweenus—atleastatfirst.Wehadtobuild

confidence;toremovethemystery.Thiswashisfundamentalpurposewithme,

aswasminewithhim.



SoithappenedthatthetalksbetweenChouandmewerelongerand

deeperthanwithanyotherleaderImetduringmypublicservice,exceptpossibly

AnwarSadat.Twoideologicalenemiespresentedtheirrespectiveviewsofthe

worldwithafranknessrarelyachievedamongalliesandwithadepththatone

experiencesonlyinthepresenceofagreatman. Onmyfirstvisit,Ispent

seventeenhoursintalkswithChouEn‐lai.Oneachsucceedingvisitduringhis

premiershipwespentbetweensixtotenhourstogethereachdaywithno

interruptionexcept formeals.Andeventhentheconversationwouldbe

philosophical,humorous,andilluminating.Thesamepatternwasrepeatedwhen

NixonvisitedChina.Thuswasbuiltastructurethathaswithstoodmanystresses

andhasemergedasoneofthefoundationsofcontemporaryinternational

relations.



Theimpactofpersonalitiesoneventsisnevereasytodefine.Tobesure,

ChinaandtheUnitedStateswerebroughttogetherbynecessity;itwasnot

abstractgoodwillbutconvergingintereststhatbroughtmetoPeking;itwasnot

personalfriendshipwithChoubutacommonlyperceiveddangerthatfostered

theelaborationofourrelationship.Butthattheseinterestswereperceived

clearlyandactedupondecisivelywasduetoleadershipthat—onbothsides—

skillfullyusedthemarginofchoiceavailable.ThatChinaandtheUnitedStates

wouldseekrapprochementintheearly1970swasinherentintheworld

environment.Thatitshouldoccursorapidlyanddevelopsonatura llyowedno

littletotheluminouspersonalityandextraordinaryperceptionoftheChinese

Premier.



Ofcourse,ChouandIusedeachother;thatisononelevelthepurposeof

diplomacy.Butanotherofitspurposesistobringaboutacompatibility ofaims;

onlytheamateurortheinsecurethinkshecanpermanentlyoutmaneuverhis

oppositenumber.Inforeignpolicyonemustneverforgetthatonedealsin

recurringcyclesandonconsecutiveissueswiththesamepeople;trickery

sacrificesstructuretotemporarybenefit.Reliabilityisthecementofinternational

orderevenamongopponents;pettinessisthefoeofpermanence.ThisChouEn‐

laigrasped,anditenabledustoachievenotidenticalaimsbutcomparable

analysesofwhatwasneededtousetheinternationalequilibriumtoourmutual

benefitatthisparticularmomentinhistory.



Chouneverbargainedtoscorepettypoints.Isoonfoundthatthebestway

todealwithhimwastopresentareasonableposition,explainitmeticulously,and

thensticktoit.Isometimeswentsofarastolethimseetheinternalstudiesthat

supportedourconclusions.Chouactedthesameway;thesuicidalmethodwas

sharptrading.OnoneoccasionwhennegotiatingtheShanghaiCommuniquéI

objectedtotwosentencesinthesectionofthecommuniquéexplainingthe

Chinesepointofview.ThoughwewerenotresponsibleforwhattheChinesesaid,

Ithoughtthatitwouldleadtocontroversyinajointcommuniqué.Iofferedto

giveuptwosentencesinthesectionstatingtheAmericanpositioninreturn.

“GiveyourtwosentencestoyourPresidentifyouwish,”saidChouimpatiently.“I

donotwantthem.Youdonothavetotrade;allyouhavetodoistoconvinceme

whyourlanguageisembar rassing.”Hewasasgoodashisword;themost

egregiouspassagesdisappearedfromtheChinesetext.(Nothingeverbeing

wastedinChina,twomonthslatertheyshowedupagaininaChineseUNspeech,

butsincethatwasaunilateraldocumentwecouldignorethem.)



IhadnoillusionsaboutthesystemChourepresentednordidIdoubtthatin

servingitspurpose shecouldbeasformidableafoeashewasfascinating asan

interlocutor.ThenewsocietyinChinahadbeenachievedatanenormous,bymy

valuesexorbitant,price.Thesacrificesinfreedom,spontaneity,culture,family

life,seemedtometogobeyondwhatanygroupofleadershaveamoralrightto

imposeontheirpeople.TheChinesewerecold‐bloodedpractitionersofpower

politics,afarcryfromtheromantichumanitariansimaginedinWestern

intellectualcircles.AndyetwhenChoudied,Ifeltagreatsadness.Theworld

wouldbelessvibrant,theprospectslessclearlyseen.Neithe rofushadever

forgottenthatourrelationshipwasessentiallyambiguousoroverlookedthe

possibilitythatashis toryiscountedourtwocountries’pathsmightbeparallelfor

onlyafleetingmoment. Afterthat,theymightwellfindthemselvesagainon

oppositesides.Shouldthatdaycome,theChinesewouldapplythemselvesto

confrontationwiththesamedeterminationandshrewdnesswithwhichtheyhad

practicedcooperationwhenitservedtheirinterests.Butoneoftherewardsof

mypubliclifehasbeenthatinamoment,howeverbriefinthepitiless

measurementofhistory,Icouldworkwithagreatmanacrossthebar riersof

ideologyintheendlessstruggleofstatesmentorescuesomepermanencefrom

thetenuousnessofhumanforesight.



ChouEn‐laiandIbeganourfirsttalkontheafternoonofJuly9atmyguest

houseaboutfourhoursaftermyarrivalinPeking.Wefacedeachotheracrossa

green‐coveredtable,seatedincongruouslyinlargewickerchairsofthekindone

findsinold‐fashionedsummerresorts.HewasflankedbyMarshalYehChien‐ying,

HuangHua,andChangWen‐chin.Holdridge,Smyser,andLordcomposedmy

team,allofusunderthebeadyeyeofSecretServiceagentsReadyandMcLeod,

whowerenotabouttoleavemetothemercyofunscreenedforeigners.Ihad

beforemethevoluminousbriefingbook,towhichIdidnotreferagainafterChou

hadinterruptedmyopening statement.Chou,asalways,usedonlyasinglesheet

ofpaperwithafewwordsonit,presumablythegeneralheadingshewishedto

discuss.



ChouandIhadbothreachedtheconclusionthatthemostimportantresult

ofthisfirstencounterwouldbecomprehensionbyeachsideofthefundamental

purposesoftheother.Andifwehadjudgedcorrectly,thenecessitiesthathad

broughtustogetherwouldsetthedirectionforourfuturerelationship,provided

neithersideaskedtheothertodowhatitsvaluesorinterestsprohibited.Thus

ensuedaconversationwhoseeasybanterandstylizedcharacter,asifitwerea

dialoguebetweentwoprofessorsofpoliticalphilosophy,nearlyobscuredthatthe

penaltyoffailurewouldbecontinuedisolationforonesideandsharpened

internationaldifficultiesfortheother.AnabortedmissionwouldheightenChina’s

risks.ItwouldunquestionablyemboldentheSoviets.Itwoulddiscreditusat

home;itcouldeasilyturnourretreatfromIndochinaintoarout.Althoughboth

ChouandIknewthestakesforeachofusanddespiteanunbre akabledeadlineof

forty‐eighthours—IhadtoreappearinPakistanwithinthatperiodifsuspicions

werenottobearoused—neitherofusatthatfirstmeetingtestedtheissueby

whichmytripwouldbejudged:ourabilitytoagreeonaPresidentialvisit.We

bothactedasifthiswereasubsidiarymatterthatwouldbeeasilysettled.By

pushingeachotheragainstthedeadline,webothsoughttodemonstratethatwe

hadotheroptions.Withcourtesy,philosophicaldigressions,andoccasional

humorwesoughttoconveythatwecouldstillturnback,thatwehadnotcrossed

ourRubicon.AndyetallthetimeweknewthattheRubiconwasbehindus;we

hadinfactnowheretogobutforward.



APresidentialvisittoChinawasreferredtobrieflybyusbothatthe

beginningandthenwedidnotreturntoituntiltheendofthesecondday,about

eighteenhoursbeforemydeparture.Instead,Chouspentsometimeinourfirst

meeting,whichlastednearlysevenhours(includingdinner) ,expressinghis

generalagreementwiththeconceptsoutlinedbyNixoninaspeechinKansasCity

onJuly6.ThisputmeatsomedisadvantagesinceIwasunawareofeitherthefact 

orthecontentofthespeech,provingthateventhemostmeticulouspreparation

ispreytotheaccidental.ThenextmorningChoucharacteristicallyhadhisown,

marked‐upcopyoftheEnglishtextdeliveredwithmybreakfast,witharequestto

returnitsinceitwashisonlycopy.Itturnedouttobeextemporaneousremarks

madebythePresidenttoameetingofMidWesternnewsmediaexecutives

gatheredforabriefingondomesticpolicybyCabinetmembe rsandWhiteHouse

aides.Nixoneitherstartledormystifiedtheassembledexecutivesbydiscussing

the“broadercontext.”“therelationshipbetweenthese[domestic]programsand

theproblemsthatAmericahasintheworld.”Impelledbyhisexcitementatwhat

heknewtobeabouttotakeplace,NixonpraisedtheChineseas“creative,they

areproductive,theyareoneofthemostcapablepeopleintheworld.”Thisiswhy

itwas“essentialthatthisAdministrationtakethefirststepstowardendingthe

isolationofMainlandChinafromtheworldcommunity.”Heforesawaworldof

“fivegreateconomicsuperpowers”(theUnitedSta tes,WesternEurope,Japan,

theSovietUnion,andChina)whoserelationshipwoulddeterminethestructureof

peaceinourtime.Chourejectedtheappellationof“superpower”;Chinawould

notplaythatgame.Itwasbothtrueandprudent;Chinaneededusprecisely

becauseitdidnothavethestrengthtobalancetheSovietUnionbyitself.



ChouandIbytacitagreementdidnotpresscontroversialissuestothehilt.

Taiwanwasmentionedonlybrieflyduringthefirstsession.Moretimewasspent

onmyexplainingourpolicyinIndochina,withspecialemphasisonmysecrettalks

withLeDucTho,whichforafleetingmomentseemedtoindicatethepossibility

ofabreakthrough.(WeweredueforournextmeetingwithLeDucThoinafew

days’time.)WhereastheSovietsoftenflauntedtheirknowledgeofthesesecret

talks,Chouprofessedtobeunawareofthem;heconfinedhimselftoasking

probingquestions.Itwasa gooddevicetoavoidbeingpressedtotakeaposition.

Ourfirstdayoftalksendedat11:20p.m.andwehadneithersettledanythingnor

evendiscussedtheissuethatrequiredadecision.



OnSaturdaymorning,July10,weweretakentotheForbiddenCity,the

formerImperialPalacebuiltinthefifteenthcentury.Theenormousgrounds,

normallyapopulartouristattraction,hadbeenclosedofftothepublicforahalf

daysowesixAmericanscouldbegivenaprivatetour.AccompaniedbyHuang

Hua,wewereguidedthroughitsbeautifullyproportionedcourtyards,hallsand

gardens,awedasmanyforeignemissarieshadbeenbeforeusbytheexquisite

architectureofredandgold,thestonecarvingsandbronzelions,theyellowroofs

seemingtotumblelikewaterfallsintothepoolsofsandthatformedthemany

squares,thesweepingvistasthatwereoncetheresidenceofChineseemperors

whobelievedittobethecenteroftheuniverseandforlongperiodsturnedtheir

pretensionsintoreality.ThedirectorofallChinesearchaeologicalmuseumstook

ustoanexhibitofrecentlyexcavatedtreasures(manyofwhichlatertouredthe

UnitedStates).



AtnoonmymeetingswithChouresumedintheGreatHallofthePeople;

thatgiganticedifice—undecidedbetweenMussolinineoclassicismand

Communistbaroque—facestheForbiddenCityandwasbuiltwithinthirteen

monthsin1959tocelebratethetenthanniversaryoftheCo mmunistvictoryin

theChinesecivilwar.EachlargeroomwithinitisnamedforaprovinceofChina;

thereareabanquethallthatcanseatseveralthousand,atleastonetheater,and

innumerableothermeetingplaces.WemetintheFukienRoom,namedforthe

ChineseprovinceoppositeTaiwan,asubtletywhich—liketheSnow interview—

unfortunatelywaslostonmesinceIdidnotthenknowthenameoftheroomnor

tomyshamewouldhaverecognizeditssignificance.Thereissomeadvantagein

invincibleobtuseness.(Chouwasobligedtopointallofthisoutonasubsequent

visitwhenwemetinanotherroom.)



Themoodonthisoccasionwasdifferentfromthatofthepreviousevening.

WithveryfewpreliminariesChoulaunchedintoaforcefulpresentationofthe

Chinesepointofview.WithlittlerhetoricalflourishChouputforwardmuchof

whatIcamelatertoknowasChineseCommunistliturgy—thattherewas“much

turmoilundertheheavens”;thatTaiwanwaspartofChina;thatChinasupported

the“juststruggle”oftheNorthVietnamese;thatthebigpowerswerecolluding

againstChina(notonlytheUnitedStatesandtheSovietUnionbutalsoa

militaristicJapan);thatIndiawasaggressive;thattheSovietsweregreedyand

menacingtotheworld;thatChinawasnotandwouldneverwanttobea

superpowerlikeAmericaandRussia;thatAmericawasindifficultybe causewe

had“stretchedoutourhandstoofar.”Chourecitedthisfiercelitanyandclosed

withachallengingquestion—whether,givenourvastdifferences,therewasany

senseinaPresidentialvisit.



Irespondedequallyfirmly,pointingoutthatPekinghadbroachedthe

Presidentialvisitandthatwecouldnotacceptanyconditions.Iwouldnotraise

thequestionagain;theChineseleadershadtodecidewhethertoissuean

invitation.Ithenlaunchedintoadeliberatelybrusquepoint‐by‐pointrebuttalof

Chou’spresentation.Choustoppedmeafterthefirstpoint,saying theduckwould

getcoldifwedidnoteatfirst.



AtlunchoverPekingduckthemoodchangedandChou’sgenialityreturned.

Asthelunchended,ChouturnedtothesubjectoftheCulturalRevolution.I

demurredthatthiswasChina’sinternalaffair,butChoucontinued,insistingthatif

weweretodealwitheachotheranunderstandingofthisdramawascritical.With

gracemaskingundoubtedanguish,ChoudescribedChinaastornbetweenthe

fearofbureaucratizationandtheexcessesofideologicalzeal;hepaintedthe

dilemmaofasocietybroughtuponfaithinasingletruthwhensuddenlymany

factionsrepresentingdifferenttruthscontendedinthestreetsuntilthefruitsof

fiftyyearsofstrugglewereinjeopardy.Herecountedbeingconfinedinhisoffice

foracoupleofdaysbytheRedGuards.Hehaddoubtedthenecessityofsuch

drasticmeasures,butMaohadbeenwiser;hehadthevisiontolookfarintothe

future.InretrospectIdoubtthatChouwouldhaveraisedthepointatallhadhe

notwantedtodissociatehimselffromtheCulturalRevolutionatleasttosome

extentandtoindicatethatitwasover.



AfterlunchIresume dmyrebuttalforanotherhouruntilChousuddenly,

matter‐of‐factlysuggestedthesummerof1972forthePresident’svisitasifall

thatwasleftwastodecidethetiming.Headdedthathethoughtitprudentifwe

mettheSovietleadersfirst.AwareofSovietmaneuversregardingasummit,I

repliedthatwhileasummitinMoscowwasprobable,thevisitsshouldtakeplace

intheorderinwhichtheyhadbeenarranged—firstPeking,thenMoscow.Idid

nothavetheimpressionthatChouwasunhappyaboutthisinformation.WhenI 

indicatedthatasummersummitclosetoourelectionsmightbemisunderstood,

Chouproposedthespringof1972.Iagreed.WeadjournedatsixbecauseChou

hadtohostadinnerforanotherunnamedvisitor(welearnedlaterthatitwas

NorthKoreanleaderKimII‐sung).Choulikedtoworkfromaboutnoontoearly

morning.Heproposedthatwe meetagainafterdinnerat10:00p.m.todrafta

jointannouncementofmyvisit.



Ireturnedwithmystafftotheguesthousefordinner.AllChineseofficials

hadsuddenlydisappearedandwewereleftalonewiththestaffoftheguest

house.Itwasanagonizingeveningofrescheduledandthenpostponedmeetings, 

ofnighttimestrollsuptothesentriesandbarelyconcealedanxietyastowhat

wouldhappen.(Allourstrategytalkswereheldonthesewalksforfearof

eavesdropping.)Forallweknew,theChinesehadhadsecondthoughts.Finally,

about11:15P.M.Choucameback,hisstatedinnerhavingconcludedlate.But

insteadofturningtothecommuniqué,weruminatedforanhouronthefutureof

IndiaandGermany.HisbasicpointwasthatIndiahadbeentheaggressoragainst

Chinain1962;therewasagreatdangerofthesamepolicy’sbeingappliedto

Pakistanin1971.HedesignatedHuangHuaashisrepresentativefordraftingthe

announcement,andthenleft.



ButHuangHuadidnotshowuprightaway.Theinexplicablewaitingwasall

themoreominousbecauseweweretalkingnotaboutanelaboratecommuniqué

butaboutastatementofaparagraphortwoannouncingaPresidentialvisitto

Peking.Weneverfoundoutwhetheritwasadeliberatetactictounsettleus,

whethertherewasaPolitburomeeting,whetherMaoinsistedonreviewingthe

talks,orwhether,aswasmostlikely,wefacedacombinationofallthese.Finally,

HuangHuashowedupwithoutawordofexplanation,urbane,affable,

imperturbable.



HuangHuahadwithhimadraftcommuniquéthatproducedimmediate

controversy.InbestMiddleKingdomtraditionitsuggestedthatNixonhad

solicitedtheinvitation.ThepurposewasstatedtobeadiscussionofTaiwanasa

preludetothenormalizationofrelations.Irejectedbothpropositions.



WewouldnotappearinPekingassupplicants.Wewouldnotcomeforthe

solepurposeofdiscussingTaiwanorevensimplytoseek“normalizationof

relations.”Therehadtobeareferencetootherissuesofcommonconcern. 

HuangHua,inagesturewise,practical,andcharacteristic,suggestedthatweput

asidethedraftingandeachtelltheotherfranklywhathisneedswere.Clearly,

neithersidewantedtoappearthesupplicant;bothwantedapositiveoutcome;it

wasinnobody’sinteresttoimplythattheagendawouldbeone‐sided.Wespent

twohoursonthis.Iexplainedourconcernsofprincipleanddomestic

requirements;wewouldnotappearashavingsolicitedtheinvitation;Taiwan

couldnotbethesoleagendaitem.HuangHuapointedouttheshockingimpactof

theannouncementontheChinesemasses.Rarelyarenegotiationsthiscandid,

almostneverwithpotentialadversaries.Atabout1:40a.m.,HuangHuaproposed

athirty‐minuterecessinwhichtheywouldtrytoworkoutlanguagesuitableto

us,andlefttheroom.Wetookanotherwalkinthegroundsandreturnedtoawait

theirarrival;at3:00a.m.welearnedthattheyhadleftandwouldnotreturnuntil

9:00a.m.



Wereconvenedat9:40a.m.onSunday,July11,forthreeandahalfhours

beforetheunbreakabledeparturedeadline.HuangHuawasstilltheChinese

spokesman,continuingmyfirstexposure totheChinesenegotiatingstyle.AsI

havementionedbefore,othernegotiators,eagertoimpresssuperiorsorthe

public,sometimesusethe“salami” approach;theytrytoslicetheirconcessions

asthinlyaspossibleoveraslongaperiodoftimeaspossible.Thismethodconfers 

anillusoryimpressionoftoughness. Sinceneithersidecanknowwhichsliceofthe

salamiisthefinalone,eachistemptedtowaitouttheprocessandthusprotract

itfurther.Inevitably, pressuregrowsforwhathasabsorbedsomuchtime,energy,

andcommitmenttosucceed;thiscaneasilycarrythenegotiatorbeyondprudent

limits.IpreferredbyfarthestyletheChineseemployedwithus,andtowhich

HuangHuaintroducedmethatmorning,whichistodetermineaswellaspossible

thenatureofareasonablesolution,getthereinonejump,andthensticktothat

position.WhereverpossibleIsoughttoadaptittothenegotiationsIlater

conducted—itwascastigatedasthetacticofthe“preemptiveconcession.”In

fact,whiletheinitialconcessionsseemgreaterthaninthesalamiapproach,the

overallconcessionsarealmostcertainlyfewer.Thestrategyofgettinginone

jumptoadefe nsiblepositiondefinestheirreduciblepositionunambiguously;itis

easiertodefendthanthecumulativeimpactoveralongperiodofaseriesof

marginalmovesinwhichprocessalwaysthreatenstodominatesubstance.



Bethatasitmay,HuangHuapresentedadraftat9:40thatmorningso

closetoourneedsthatwecouldacceptitwithachangeofonlyoneword.

Indeed,itwasfortunatethatIsuggestedtheChinesesubmittheirversionfirst;it

wasbetterforusthanourown.(Eachsidehadleanedoverbackwardtoconsider

thepointofviewoftheother.)ItwasthejointannouncementNixonwastoread

onJuly15.



Assoonasthedraftingwascompleted,ChouEn‐lai,whohadbeenwaiting

nearby,reappeared.Wediscussedestablishingapointofcontactforthefuture

andselectedParis—GeneralWalterswoulddealwiththeChineseAmbassador

there,HuangChen.WeexchangedpreliminarythoughtsonthePresident’strip.

Whenwehadconcludedourbusiness,Chouinacharacteristicgesturespent

sometimebringingmeuptodateoninternationalnewsthathadreachedPeking

whileIwascutofffromcommunications.



WebidfarewelltoChou,andmystaffandIandtheotherChinesesatdown

toafinalcheerfullunch.Alltensionwasgone.MarshalYeh’snormallyimpassive

facewascreasedinsmiles.Onthewaytotheairporthetoldmeofhislife.Hehad

beenanofficerintheNationalistarmywhenhehadheardofMao’slittle bandin

themountains;hehadjoinedthembecaus ehesawMaoaboveallasateacher. 

Aswedroveuptow ardthewaitingPakistaniplane,heremarkedthatnoneof

themontheLongMarchhadeverdreamedofseeingvictoryintheirlifetimes.

Theyhadthoughttheirstrugglewasforfuturegenerations.WiththeChinese

artistryinmakingthecarefullyplannedappearspontaneous,justaswereached

thefootofthestepshesaid,“Yethereweareandhereyouare.”



Noaccountofthesecrettripcanbecompletewithoutthesagaofmy

shirts.Knowingthevicissitudesofahectictwelve‐daytripthroughAsia,Ihad

askedmyaideDaveHalperintobesuretosetasideacoupleofcleanshirts

throughoutthelongtourtobesavedspecificallyforPeking.UndoubtedlyI

remindedHalperinofthisnecessityseveraltimeswithmycustomarypersistence.

AsthePakistaniplanetookofffromChaklalaandsoaredtowardtheHimalayas,

Halperin,ridingbacktothehillstationwiththeSecretService, wasstunnedby

therealizationthathehadsetasidetheshirtssocarefullythatIcouldnothave

packedthem;atthisthoughthebecamephysicallysick.Iwasaghastwhen,inthe

plane,IwantedtochangeshirtsbeforearrivinginPeking.IinvokedHalperin’s

namewithsomewhatlessthantheaffectionIactuallyfeltforhim.Indesperation

IborrowedsomewhiteshirtsfromJohnHoldridge—asix‐foot‐twotrimformer

WestPointerwhosebuilddidnotexactlycoincidewithmyrathermorecompact

physique.SouvenirphotostakenbytheChineseofmypartyinshirt‐sleeveson

ourtouroftheForbiddenCityshowmesmilingenigmatically,ingarmentsthat

leftmewiththeappearanceofhavingnoneck.Theirsizewastheleastofit;for

theseshirts,belongingtoanoldAsiahand,wereprominentlylabeled“Madein

Taiwan.”IwastellingtheliteraltruthwhenItoldourhoststhatTaiwanwasa

matterclosetome.



ThentherewastheJamesRestondrama.ScottyReston,whosepresencein

PekinghadcausedsuchaworryintheWhiteHouse,wasnaturallynoproblemfor

theChinese.HeandhiswifearrivedinSouthChinaonJuly8,thedaybeforeI

reachedPeking.InCanton,theirofficialguideinformedthemofa“changeof

plans”;theyweretoremainintheCantonareafortwodaysandproceedbyrail

toPekingontheeveningofthetenth,arriving inthecapitalonthemorningofthe

twelfth.RestonprotestedandaskedtoflytoPekingatonce.ButtheNewYork

TimesdidnotinspirethesameterrorinChinaasinWashington.Hewastoldit

wasoutofthequestion.ChouEn‐laigleefullyinformedmeonJuly10thatReston

wasonaslowtrainthatwouldconvenientlydelayhisarrivalinPekinguntilwell

aftermydeparture.



RestonwastoldonthemorningofthefifteenthoftheannouncementthatI

hadbeeninPeking.Thiswasthesourceofacutepain.“Atthatprecisemoment,”

Restonlaterrecounted,

“orsoitnowseems,thefirststabofpainwentthrough

mygroin.ByeveningIhadatemperatureof103,andinmydeliriumIcouldsee

Mr.Kissingerfloatingacrossmybedroomceilinggrinningatmeoutofthecorner

ofahoodedrickshaw.”Itturnedouttobe,infact,notjournalisticmortification

butacuteappendicitis.HisappendixwasremovedonJuly17atPeking’sAnti‐

ImperialistHospital(thethencurrentnameofthefacilit ybuiltin1916bythe

RockefellerFoundation,laterrenamedtheFriendshipHospitalintimeforNixon’s

visit).AcupunctureneedleswerestuckintoScotty’selbowandbelowhiskneesto